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Class 10: Herbs and Formulas

That Release The Exterior



Fayi Wu
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Radix Angelicae Dahuricae (Bai zhi)
Taste and Property: acrid, warm
Meridian Tropism: lung, stomach, and spleen
Actions: expels wind, drys dampness, unblocks the nasal
passages, and alleviates pain; reduces swelling and expels pus;
drys dampness and alleviates discharges
Indications:
For wind-cold, especially those with headache, also for
supraorbital pain, nasal congestion, and toothache, it can be
used for any problem due to wind invading the yang ming
channels of the head. used with gao ben, ge gen for headache.
For early stages of superficial sores and carbuncles.
Used for vaginal discharge due to dampness in the lower burner
Dosage: 3-9g
Contraindications: yin deficiency and heat in the blood
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Herba Asari (Xi xin)
Taste and Property: acrid, warm
Meridian Tropism: LU, KI
Actions: disperses cold and releases the exterior, disperse wind,
relieves pain, warms lungs and transforms thin mucus, unblocks and
facilitates the orifices
Indications:
For any exterior cold pattern, especially with the addition of dampness or
underlying yang deficiency.
For pain due to wind and/or cold anywhere in the body, particularly
headache, painful obstruction, abdominal pain or toothache.
For cough, with copious, watery sputum, fullness in the chest.
For various types of nasal congestion, oral pathology, and some types of
loss of consciousness, all of which impair the clear orifices of the head, as a
powder blown into the nose for acute loss of consciousness
Dosage: 1-3g
Contraindications: profuse sweating from qi deficiency, or headaches
or cough due to yin deficiency
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Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens (Sheng jiang)
Taste and Property: acrid, slightly warm
Meridian Tropism: LU, SP, and ST
Actions: disperses cold and releases the exterior; warm the middle
burner and alleviates vomiting; warms the lungs and stops cough;
resolves toxicity
Indications:
For exterior cold pattern.
For cold in the stomach, especially when there is vomiting.
For cough due to both acute wind-cold cough patterns and chronic lung
disorders with phlegm
For resolving toxicity or treating the effects of overdose of other herbs
Dosage: 3-9g
Contraindications: profuse sweating from exterior deficiency, or heat
due to yin deficiency or any pattern
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Herba Elsholtziae (Xiang ru)
Taste and Nature: Acrid, aromatic and slightly warm
Channel tropism: Lung and stomach
Actions: induces sweating and releases the exterior; drains dampness
and harmonizes middle jiao; promotes urination and reduces swelling
Indications:
For exterior syndrome of wind cold in summer which is marked by affection
of wind cold externally and obstruction of dampness in the interior, with such
symptoms as chills and fever, headache, absence of sweating body aches,
abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea.
For edema and urinary difficulty, especially caused by obstruction of lung qi
due to invasion of exogenous pathogens, not used for other types of edema.
Dosage: 3-9g.
Contraindications: profuse sweating from exterior deficiency
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Flos Magnoliae (Xin yi hua)
Taste and Nature: Acrid, warm
Channel tropism: Lung and stomach
Actions: disperses wind cold, clears the nasal
passages, relieves sinus headache
Indications:
For exterior syndrome of wind cold such symptoms as
nasal obstruction or congestion, nasal discharge, lack of
smell, sinus problems, or related headache.
Dosage: 3-9g.
Contraindications: fire from yin deficiency
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Release wind heat
Herba Menthae (Bo he)
Taste and Nature: Acrid, aromatic, cooling
Channel tropism: Lung and liver
Actions: disperses wind-heat, clears and benefits the head, eyes and
throat; vents rash; soothes liver
Indications:
For patterns of wind-heat with fever, cough, headache, red eyes, and sore
throat.
Used in the early stages of rashes to induce the rash to come to the surface.
For constrained liver qi with such symptoms as pressure in the chest or
flanks, emotional instability, and gynecological problems.
Dosage: 3-6g. Added near end.
Contraindications: profuse sweating from exterior deficiency
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Fructus Arctii (Niu bang zi)
Taste and Nature: Acrid, bitter, cold
Channel tropism: LU, ST
Actions: disperses wind-heat, benefits the throat; resolves
toxicity and vents rashes; moistens the intestines
Indications:
For patterns of wind-heat with fever, cough, and sore, red,
swollen throat.
For red swellings, carbuncles and rashes including the early
stages of measles
For internal heat causing constipation
Dosage: 6-12g.
Contraindications: used with caution in case of qi deficiency,
diarrhea, or in the absence of excessive heat
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Periost Cicadae (Chan tui)
Taste and Nature: Sweet, salty, slight cold
Channel tropism: LU, LV
Actions: disperses wind-heat; vents rash; clears the eyes and
removes superficial visual obstruction, stops spasms and
extinguishes wind
Indications:
For patterns of wind-heat, especially with loss of voice and
swollen, sore throat.
For early stage of measles with incomplete expression of the
rashes.
For wind heat eye problems such as red, painful and swollen
eyes or blurry vision.
For childhood febrile diseases in which wind causes convulsions,
spasms, delirium or night terrors
Dosage: 3-9g.
Contraindications: used with caution in patients who might be
pregnant
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Folium Mori (Sang ye)
Taste and Property: Sweet, bitter, slightly cold
Meridian Tropism: Lung and liver
Actions: Expel wind-heat from the lung; clear lung heat and
moisten dryness; clear liver heat to treat eye disorders; Cool
blood and stop bleeding,
Indications:
Wind heat exterior pattern, used together with Bo He, Sang Ye,
Jie Geng for wind heat exterior pattern marked by cough.
Cough and dry throat due to dry heat impairing the lung.
For eye problems due to liver heat from excess, wind-heat, or yin
deficiency, also for vertigo due to liver yang rising.
For mild cases of hematemesis due to blood heat
Dosage: 4.5-9g. Used after prepared with honey for lung
dryness.
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Flos chrysanthemi (Ju hua)
Taste and Property: Sweet, bitter, slightly cold
Meridian Tropism: Lung and liver
Actions: disperses wind and clears heat; calms liver and clears
eyes, extinguishes wind; resolves toxicity
Indications:
Wind heat exterior pattern, used together with Bo He, Sang Ye,
Jie Geng for wind heat exterior pattern marked by cough.
Red, swollen and painful eyes due to wind heat in the eyes or
upward attack of liver fire.
Vertigo of eyes due to deficiency of both liver and kidney yin.
For dizziness, headache, deafness, convulsions due to
ascendant liver yang and liver wind.
Dosage: 4.5-15g
Contraindications: Headache or dizziness caused by blood
deficiency with fire.
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Fructus Viticis (Man jing zi)
Taste and Property: Bitter, acrid and cool
Meridian Tropism: Liver, stomach and bladder
Actions: Disperse wind heat; Clear and benefit the eyes and
head; Drain dampness and expels wind
Indications:
For wind heat exterior pattern with headache or eye pain.
For wind heat in the liver channels manifesting as excessive
tearing, red, painful, or swollen eyes, or spots in front of the eyes
As a auxiliary herb for wind dampness in the limbs causing
stiffness, numbness, cramping, or heaviness.
Dosage: 6-12g.
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Semen Sojae Preparatum (Dan dou chi)
Taste and Property: Sweet, acrid, slightly bitter and
cold or warm
Meridian Tropism: lung and stomach
Actions: Relieves exterior, eliminates irritability
Indications:
For either cold or heat exterior disorders or with yin
deficiency. Used with cong bai.
For restlessness, irritability and insomnia due to heat
invading into the chest and diaphragm.
Dosage: 6-12g.
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Radix Puerariae (Ge gen)
Taste and Property: Sweet, acrid and cool
Meridian Tropism: spleen and stomach
Actions: discharges exterior and releases the muscles and
clears heat, vents measles, raises yang to relieve diarrhea;
clears heat and generates fluids
Indications:
For exterior conditions lodged in the muscles manifesting with
fever, headache and stiff or tight upper back or neck.
For incomplete expression of rashes
For irritability and thirst from externally-contracted heat or wasting
and thirsting diseases with internal heat
Used to treat diarrhea of either heat or deficiency cold.
For hypertension
Dosage: 6-24g. use the roasted one for diarrhea due to spleen
deficiency.
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Radix Bupleuri (Chai hu)
Taste and Property: Bitter, acrid and slightly cold
Meridian Tropism: PC, LV, SJ, GB
Actions: Reduces fever by harmonizing and relieving shaoyang;
relieves stagnation of liver qi; lifts yang Qi
Indications:
Used as the most important herb for shaoyang pattern marked by
alternate attack of fever and chills, fullness in the hypochondrium,
bitter taste in the mouth, dry mouth and vertigo.
For liver qi stagnation such as distending pain in the
hypochondrium, headache, irregular menstruation,
dysmenorrhea, etc.
Prolapse of rectum or uterus or shortness of breath or lassitude
due to sinking of deficient qi.
Dosage: 3-9g
Contraindications: Not used for true yin deficiency with
hyperactivity of liver yang
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Rhizoma Cimicifugae (Sheng ma)
Taste and Property: sweet, acrid and slightly cold
Meridian Tropism: LI, LU, SP, ST
Actions: relieves exterior and vents measles; clears heat and resolves
toxicity; lifts yang Qi
Indications:
For headache due to exterior wind-heat or the early stages of measles, used
with ge gen.
For fire toxin in the upper or superficial aspects of the body, such as sore
teeth, swollen or painful gums, ulcerated lips or gums, canker sores painful
and swollen throat, sores.
Prolapse of rectum or uterus or shortness of breath or lassitude due to
sinking of deficient qi.
Dosage: 3-9g
Contraindications: Not used for true yin deficiency with hyperactivity of
liver yang
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Cyperus and Perilla Leaf
Powder (xiang su san)
Ingredients: zi su ye, xiang fu, chen pi,
zhi gan cao
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Actions and indications of the formula
Actions
Regulates qi and releases the exterior.
Indications
Fever and chills without sweating, headache, focal
distention and stifling sensation in the chest and
epigastrium, poor appetite, belching, a thin white
tongue coating, and a floating pulse.
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Analysis of Formula
Chief: zi su ye
Releases exterior wind-cold and facilitates the
flow of qi in the interior
Deputy: xiang fu
Releases constraint and disperses stagnation
Assistant: chen pi
Helps regulate qi
Envoy: Gan cao
Harmonizes actions of the other herbs and
strengthens the stomach, prevents the qi-
regulating herbs from depleting the qi
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Modern application and modifications
Modern application:
Disorder of upper respiratory tract infection
and stomach flu.
Modifications:
For severe headache, add man jing zi
For coughing with copious sputum, add su
zi, ban xia
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Elsholtzia Powder (xiang ru
san)
Ingredients: xiang ru, bai bian dou, hou
po
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Actions and indications of the formula
Actions
Releases the exterior, scatters cold, transforms
dampness, and harmonizes the middle burner.
Indications
Aversion to cold with skin that is warm to touch,
an absence of sweating, a sensation of heaviness
in the head, headache, abdominal pain, vomiting,
diarrhea, a stifling sensation in the chest, fatigued
extremities, a white, greasy tongue coating and a
floating pulse.
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Analysis of Formula
Chief: xiang ru
Releases exterior, harmonizes the ascending and
descending functions of the spleen, and disperses
stagnant fluids by dispelling cold and dampness
from the middle burner
Deputy: bai bian dou
Strengthens spleen and drain dampness
Assistant: hou po
Expels dampness and disperses fullness
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Modern application and modifications
Modern application:
Disorder of upper respiratory tract infection,
gastroenteritis, bacillary dysentery, and
cholera.
Modifications:
For stronger exterior presentation, add qing
hao
For severe cold with nasal obstruction, take
with cong chi tang